I read with interest the recent article by Chow et al1 on surgical results after implantation of the artificial silicone retina (ASR) microchip in 6 patients with severe visual loss from retinitis pigmentosa. The authors state that all patients noted subjective improvements in perceived brightness, contrast, color, and movement; improvement in visual field occurred in 1 patient and Bailey-Lovie acuity improved in 3 patients. They concluded there was “a possible generalized neurotrophic-type rescue effect on the damaged retina caused by the presence of the ASR” because the function of retinal areas away from the implanted ASR showed improvement.1